Pearl Harbor Dbq Essay

December 7, 1941 was a tragedy that was dubbed ”the day which will live in infamy” by President Franklin D. Roosevelt where Japan bombed the United States’ naval base of Pearl Harbor. Before this tragic day in history many crucial things happened, stemming from the unjust treating from the League of Nations after WWI the economic depression on Germany gave Adolf Hitler a chance to take power. Hitler became a man of power for Germany by pushing blame onto others for the great economic depression. Once Hitler gained control in his totalitaristic governing ways, he went against the Treaty of Versailles by building a military, stopping paying debts and holding land that wasn't Germany, and on September 1, 1939 invaded Poland to start WWII. At the

In a letter from the U.S. Ambassador in Japan to the Secretary of State, the U.S Ambassador mentions notably the poor internal economic and financial situation of Japan along with the unsuccessful attempts to obtain loans from England, France, and Holland. The Ambassador also mentions the steady increase of stress in the Government and the mention of a hot-headed military that doesn't want to face the horrible facts (Doc H). Due to the fact that the U.S. Ambassador is in Japan his point of view on Japan’s situation is first hand and can see the effects of the deprivement of resources Japan is going through. In past history many countries had taken an imperialist mindset and when in the need for resources they would take over other countries for their resources. So keeping in mind the United States power, Japan’s want for the same power, and Japan’s “hotheaded military”, Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor could have been to take resources from the U.S. as well as weaken them for possibly taking their power. From a excerpt from The Way of the Subjects it mentions; Japan is for the pure, unmixed Japanese people, while Manchuria is the large water source for its patty field of East Asia (Doc A). Patty fields are where Asian countries grow crops that need a surplus of water such as rice. This excerpt refers to Japan being the dominator of East Asia and Manchuria which can supply

In the chronology adapted from Akira Iriye, Pearl Harbor and the Coming of the Pacific War mentions many times in which the U.S. made it very uncomfortable for Japan. These uncomforts stem from Japan feeling threatened as well as the U.S. cutting them off of certain products that are necessary for Japan. In 1939 the U.S. placed an embargo (or stopped the trade) of aircraft and aircraft parts (Doc C). This makes things difficult for Japan because Japan is an island and their only real mode of transportation for troops or other goods was airplane or ship. In fact according to Wiki, the Japanese alone built over 3,000 transport airplanes because of U.S. parts and taking that away had a huge impact on their mobility. In 1940, President Roosevelt moved U.S. Pacific fleet from California to Pearl Harbor (Doc C). From the point of view of Japan when the U.S. moves their whole fleet over 1,100 miles closer to their land they might feel quite threatened. If they felt threatened then they needed to come up with a plan to protect themselves which could be taking out the exact thing that threatens them which would be the Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor. Also in 1940 the U.S. Congress passes Naval Expansion Act which promised to triple the Pacific Fleets by the end of 1944 (Doc C), adding to the threat of the U.S. Naval Pacific Fleet on Japan and raising